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Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first-ever Saar's Pedal Passion Awards!
In the coming weeks, I will be presenting awards, three per blog.
One important rule to note is that each rider, situation, or cycling staff member can only win one trophy per year. (I may have invented this rule to ensure that Lotte Kopecky doesn't win all the positive awards, or maybe not! 😉)
So, sit back, enjoy the read, and discover who will take home the awards today!
Team Spirit Star
Honors the rider who goes above and beyond for their team, demonstrating exceptional dedication and support.
There aren’t many riders who define the term “team spirit” as well as Julie Van De Velde. Often overlooked by mainstream sports media, she always gives everything to support her team. From going all out to help Justine Ghekiere win the Polka Dot Jersey and even a stage in the Tour de France Femmes, to leading the pack at the Olympics right up until the finale so Lotte Kopecky could secure an Olympic medal, nothing is ever too much to ask of her.
Of course, there were plenty of other options, like the always loyal Christine Majerus, the star lead-out Barbara Guarishi, and Justine Ghekiere, whose biggest highlight was her work for Lotte Kopecky at the Worlds, and so on.
The way she was overlooked by mainstream Belgian media convinced me to put her in the spotlight and grant her with an award.
Winner of the 'Team Spirit Star Award 2024': Julie Van De Velde!
Congrats, Julie!
Heartbreaker Finish
Recognizes a heartbreaking near victory.
Heartbreak finishes. We had quite a few of them this year. It's one of the cruelest things in cycling. One of the lesser-known riders chooses to take a risk by joining the early breakaway or gambling with a last-minute attack. But in the last few kilometers or even meters, they get caught by one of the top riders. There are a few of them I thought deserved a mention. Remember Tota Magalhães in the Giro Women, Ilse Pluimers, and Silke Smulders in the Simac Ladies Tour? If not, I've listed the highlight videos of the stages in question.
I couldn't just split the imaginary trophy into three, so I made a very hard decision. I asked myself who gained something from it apart from respect, and that would be Magalhães and Pluimers, who both got to wear a jersey (QOM and Combativity), in contrast to Smulders, who almost won the last stage of the Simac Ladies Tour.
Considering she only got caught a few meters before the finish by the peloton, I think this award is more than deserved!
Winner of 'The Heartbreaker Finish Award 2024': Silke Smulders
Congrats Silke!
The Comeback (Kid)
Celebrates a rider who has made an inspiring return to competitive cycling after facing significant challenges or setbacks.
To say 2023 wasn't Marianne Vos's best season isn't an exaggeration. It was still a decent season, don’t get me wrong, but it’s pretty clear the GOAT herself wasn’t happy with 'just' two Vuelta stages and a gravel race as her only wins. I’m not making this up. Me and a lot of other cycling fans started to think that the autumn of Marianne's career had arrived, which wouldn't be a shame, of course! But looking back, it’s clear we had it all wrong.
At the end of August 2023, she let the cycling world know via her Instagram that she had a surgery on her left iliac artery. She had been struggling with pain and a lack of power in her left leg for a long time, when her symptoms worsened during the 2023 season, she had no choice but to get surgery.
No one knew what to expect from Vos upon her return. But I don’t think many expected her to immediately beat Lotte Kopecky and take the win in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. It wasn’t a one-time thing; she succeeded in winning two other classics: Dwars Door Vlaanderen and the Amstel Gold Race. In the second part of the season, she won some stages in stage races, became the vice-Olympic road champion and also Gravel World Champion. All this text, but there really is one conclusion: The GOAT is back. Vos is boss again!
Winner of 'The Comeback (Kid) Award 2024': Marianne Vos
Congrats Marianne!
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Thank you for reading my blog again! I hope you enjoyed it and can agree with my award winners! ;-)
Don't hesitate to contact me here in the chat function or on my socials by DM if you have a suggestion, question or have noticed a typo. Hope to see you in the next blog where I will reveal the winners of the Battle Face of the Year, Future Superstar, and Rookie Rocket Awards! You don't want to miss it! <3
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